


Three in the Morning

by IveGotRedHair



Category: Graceland (TV)
Genre: Coughing, F/M, Fever, Nightmares, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 18:37:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12415710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IveGotRedHair/pseuds/IveGotRedHair
Summary: Mike's not feeling well and Paige tries to make it better, he might be the new guy but Graceland is family.





	Three in the Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!   
> So I'm not dead... I just haven't written any fanfiction in ages! I wrote this for my friend sicklylittlesnowflake on tumblr, she's really cool she should go check her out.   
> I write more of my own ocs on my own tumblr I'm coughdontfeelwellcough if you want to check it out :) xx

It was late like three in the morning late and Mike was still awake. He was sat on the coach with a blanket and surrounded by files. He was trying to catch up on his paper work and it wasn’t if he could sleep if he wanted to. He coughed heavily into his fist and sniffed, whatever bug he’d picked up was bringing him down hard and fast and he’d spend the day ducking into the bathroom to cough or blow his nose. Mike didn’t want the whole team to know he was ill, he didn’t want to burden them he was still the new guy after all. He didn’t want to be seen as a weak or not as capable as the others. He was fine on his own, he’d been taking care of himself for a long time it wasn’t anything new.   
Mike sniffed and ran his wrist under his nose as he tried to concentrate on the file in front of him. It was about a drug dealer that Briggs had been trailing for the best part of a year but the words were beginning to blend together and Mike found himself reading the same sentence over and over again. Mike coughed into his sleeve and god it hurt. His lungs burnt, chest aching and throat on fire, he groaned and pulled the blanket a little tighter around his shoulders. At some point he’d started feeling cold and shivery and he’d pulled one of his old hoodies from the academy, it was a bit big but it was something comforting. Graceland had yet to become home and at times Mike found himself missing his friends back at Quantico but he pushed the thoughts away as darker ones tried to creep in. Mike didn’t need a thermometer to tell him he was running a fever and a rising one at that. He felt awful but still be continued between some twisted sense of duty and his own fear of sleep and what his feverish dreams would drag up. 

It’s four in the morning and Paige was awake. She loved her job but sometimes it did ask for some bizarre hours. She’s been waiting for a phone call with some Irish gangsters and had to give in to the time difference. She figured the rest of the house was asleep, she was sure she’d heard snoring some from Johnny’s room but as she headed for her own room and her bed she heard a noise coming from down the hall. She fought the instinct to raise her gun as it sounded like someone coughing. She entered the the main room and there was Mike sat on the couch surrounded by files and a ratty looking tissue pressed to his nose.   
“Mike?”   
The youngest member of the team jumped a mile before turning to cough harshly into his sleeve, Paige couldn’t help but wince at the sound. He sounded awful.   
“That was you I heard coughing?” she asked.   
Mike nodded still fighting to catch his breath.   
“Why didn’t you say you were ill?” she asked. “We wouldn't have made you wash up.”  
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, moving some files so she could sit beside him.   
“Mike, you sound terrible and I’m sure you’re running a fever…”   
She reached out to touch his forehead but he ducked away from her, sneezing into sleeve.   
“Bless you.”   
“Thanks,” he sniffed.   
“What are you doing down here anyway? You should be in bed,” Paige said.   
“Just catching up on paperwork,” he replied.   
“At four in the morning?”   
“Need to do it sometime,” Mike mumbled.   
Paige could practically smell the bullshit, she knew Mike liked to work hard and that he pushed himself to be the best but this was a step too far. He coughed again, doubling over in as wet, productive coughs racked his lungs. She rubbed his back, frowning at the heat that seemed to radiate from him. There was no doubt he was running quite the fever and shouldn’t still be working into the early hours. It made her wonder if something else was going on after all Mike had only arrived at Graceland a few weeks ago she didn’t really know him, none of them did.   
“Can I get you anything?” she asked once she was sure he able to breathe again.   
“Some water would be good,” he croaked.   
He was losing his voice now and she felt a pang of sympathy for him. She remembered the first time she’d been ill after arriving at Graceland. She’d only been there about a month she too had come down with an awful flu bug and the team had taken care of her, Charlie made an amazing chicken soup, Jakes brought medicine, Johnny kept her entertained with bad jokes and cheesy films and Briggs well he was Briggs. He made sure everyone was alright even going as far as to keep her company when was sick to her stomach and spend the night passed out on the bathroom floor.   
Paige returned with a glass of water, Mike had curled up against the end of the couch still with a file resting against his knees.   
“You just don’t know when to stop do you?” she asked, putting the glass in front of him.  
“Thanks, and I’m fine,” he sniffed.   
Paige fought the instinct to say ‘like hell you are’ it seemed Mike didn’t want to admit he was ill and she wasn’t sure it her place to push it. Maybe he was the kind of person who prefered to be left alone when sick and was waiting for her to leave. She sighed and ran her hand over her eyes, it also didn’t help that she was exhausted and couldn’t think straight.   
“Go to bed Paige, I’m fine I promise.”   
He smiled and in that moment he looked so young, so innocent and Paige couldn’t help but smile back.   
“Okay but only because I’m fucking tired and you shout if you need anything alright?”   
“Promise,” Mike replied, coughing weakly in his fist.   
Paige stood and gave Mike one last look of sympathy and left for bed though there was a norring at her gut that something wasn’t right. 

At half four in the morning Mike could no longer deny how terrible he felt, everything had just gotten worse. He couldn’t seem to stop coughing, his head pounded and he could no longer breathe through his nose and then there was the fever. He was still freezing, the blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders but still he trembled. The thought had crossed his mind to ask for help, to wake Paige and admit that he didn’t feel well but he pushed the thought away, he could do this he’d been through worse by himself. Mike was losing the fight with sleep, he was so tired and as old memories creeped up he no longer had the strength to fight them and so he slept. 

The clock read five am too early to get up but yet too late to sleep. Paige had slept in fits and starts unable to really rest, something was still bugging her and that something was Mike. She hadn’t heard him come up to his room and she wondered if he’d fallen asleep on the couch, and no matter how many times she tried to tell herself it wasn’t her business she still couldn’t sleep. Mike was still part of the house, part of Graceland and if he was hurting then she wanted to help after all he would do the same for any of them.   
It was getting light, shadows stretching out across the living room and in the middle of it huddled on the couch was one Mike Warren. He’d curled up under the blanket but still appeared to be shivering, pain written across his face.   
“Mikey?”   
Paige sat down beside him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He shuddered under her touch, whimpering in his sleep.   
“Mikey…”   
She pushed his hair from his forehead and placed her palm against his burning skin. He was so much hotter than before and Paige kicked herself for not doing anything, for not making a stand. Mike whimpered again, coughing lightly. He sounded worse than before, she could hear the dragging in his lungs as he struggled to breathe properly through congestion. At a guess she’d say he had the flu and a bad one at that, he needed medicine or at least something to bring his fever down.   
“I’ll be right back,” she said, running her hand through his hair before getting up. She knew they kept some medicine in the house as they’d all been ill at some point. Paige returned with a nearly empty bottle of Nyquil and the last of a pack of fever reducers, it would have to do.  
“Hey Mikey, can you wake up for me?” Paige asked gently.   
He didn’t stir.   
“Mike, come on wake up.”   
She nudged his shoulder but still his eyes stayed close.   
“Special Agent Michael Warren, wake up!”   
He shot up like someone had electrocuted him, his eyes wide, bright with fever and full of fear. He started coughing long and hard into his fist and as Paige patted his back she realised he was shaking.   
“Mike, you okay?”   
He shook his head as he fought for breath, leaning on his elbows on his knees.   
“What’s wrong?” she asked.   
She went to put her arm around his shoulders but he flinched at her touch.   
“Sorry just a bad dream,” he replied.   
She saw the tears in his eyes at he tried to wipe them away, she’d never seen him like this so scared and vulnerable it wasn’t the Mike she knew.   
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.   
His reply is taken as he brings his hands to his faces and sneezes, they sound so scratchy and miserable like they must feel like hell on his throat and Paige is reminded just how ill the kid is.   
“How about some medicine? You look like shit.”   
He nods blowing his nose though it does little to relieve the pressure in his head. Paige pours him the doses and watches as he drinks each one, the sun is nearly up and in the light she could see just how pale he was with dark marks beneath his eyes and fever stains on his cheeks.   
“Better?” she asked.   
“Yeah, thanks Paige.”   
“You should really get some proper sleep, do you want help getting upstairs?” she asked.   
“No, thanks. I’m fine here,” he said sniffling.   
He looked exhausted and in need of a few days just sleeping but still he fought it and Paige couldn’t help but wonder if it was something to do with the dream.   
“Was it Eddie?” she asked.   
Mike had barely been at Graceland a week when he’d seen someone shoot themselves right in front of him, he’d come back covered in blood and shaking.   
“No.”   
“Was it anything to do with here?” she asked.   
Mike shook his head, smothering a cough into his sleeve.   
“Why are you here Paige?”   
The question caught her off guard and she stumbled for an answer.   
“I wanted to make sure you were alright,” she said.   
“I’m fine now, you might as well go back to bed,” he said.   
“Bullshit Mike, you are not fine so stop lying to me. I’m just trying to help you, why won’t you let me?” she snapped, she hadn’t meant to get angry but he’d already tried to push her away once she wasn’t going again.   
“Because I’m not weak.”   
“That’s what this it about? Jesus Mike, you think that matters here? We’re all human, we all get sick it’s not big deal.”   
He sniffed, resting his head in his hands.   
“Sorry, he gets in my head sometimes,” he said.   
“Who does?” she asked.   
“My dad.”   
Paige had never heard Mike talk about his family apart from he grew up in New York. He’d kept everything to himself and none of them had ever bothered to ask, family was hard subject for all of them as they were so far away from their loved ones. But then maybe the reason Mike had never mentioned his family was because there wasn’t a happy story there.   
“What’s your dad like Paige?”   
“My dad? Like every other dad I guess. He likes golf, is terrible in the kitchen and has bad taste in jokes, loves me and my brothers with everything he has. Why?”   
“Mine wasn’t like that, in fact I don’t know if he was even capable of love I guess he probably was once but that’s before he got into alcohol. He’d get violent, especially with me and he had this thing about not being weak and sometimes I can still hear him... ”   
“Oh Mikey…” Paige didn’t know what to say, she never thought… She gently put her hand on his shoulder and he fell into her touch until he was lying against her chest.   
“I try to forget, to push the memories away but sometimes I just can’t..” his voice cracked and Paige was aware of the tears in his eyes.   
“Shh, shh it’s okay. You’re safe here, nothing’s ever going to hurt you here, I promise.”   
His breathing shook and she just held him, she knew it was probably the fever that was making him like this and there was a chance he wouldn’t even remember but that didn’t matter. Right now he needed someone and she was happy to be his shoulder to cry on. 

In the end Paige was able to convince Mike to go to bed but only if she promised to stay which she did. He slept beside her still fighting demons but at least not alone. She text the rest of the house to let them know what Mike didn’t feel well and was glad to see everyone eager to do something for their sick housemate. When Mike finally woke it was gone ten and Paige was gone, he figured she’d had to leave for work and he didn’t blame her. He felt slightly better than before, his fever having gone down some and with it the bad dreams though some images still clinged on. Paige was right, nothing could hurt him here he was okay. He rolled over and saw a note on his bedside table written in Paige’s neat writing.   
‘Come downstairs’ followed by a smiley face. He smiled and slowly got up, he made it to the stairs before he had to pause to cough.   
“You alright there Mikey?” Paige called.   
“I’m alive,” he replied shuffling down the last few steps.   
Paige greeted him at the bottom and put her arm around his waist as they went towards the living room. Mike was surprised to see the yet of the team (by Charlie) were already there, Johnny was in the process of setting up the tv, Jakes was pouring out doses of medicine and Briggs was on the couch next to a large pile of blankets.   
“What’s all this?” Mike asked.   
“We heard you weren’t feeling well,” Briggs said.   
Mike looked at Paige who just smiled.   
“Guys you didn’t have to do all this…” Mike said, stopping to sneeze into his sleeve.   
“Jeez Mikey, you sound like shit,” Johnny said.   
“Yeah feel like it too,” Mike replied.   
“Go and sit down before you fall down.”   
Mike nodded and found himself sat between Briggs and Paige with about three blankets wrapped around his shoulders. Jakes handed him medicine and finally there was a cheer from Johnny who’d finally got the tv running.   
“What are we watching?” Mike asked.   
“Whatever you like Mikey boy, invalids choice,” Briggs replied.   
Mike raised his eyebrow at invalid but took the remote anyway and started to flick through the houses collected array of movies. He settled on the classic that was Ghostbusters causing Jakes to groan.   
“Come on Warren, I thought you had better taste.”   
“Hey don’t dis the busters!” Johnny replied.   
Everyone laughed, Mike coughed a little and realised that someone was missing from their little group.   
“Where’s Charlie?” he asked.   
“I’m here.”   
Charlie appeared at the edge of the room carrying a tray with bowls of soup.   
“My family isn’t only good at sauce you know, this should get you on your feet in no time,” she said, placing a bowl in front of him.   
“Charlie you didn’t have to… You didn’t all have to go to all this effort,” Mike said.   
“You’re part of the family now Mikey boy whether you like it or not and that means we take care of each other,” Paige said.   
“Thank you.”   
Paige smiled and kissed his temple she was just glad to see her Mike back, the one that smiled and had a bit of light in his eyes. When the soup was gone and the the second movie was playing Mike starting drifting off, his head against Paige’s shoulder, his feet in Brigg’s lap he had to admit he’d never felt safer or more loved that he did with the people of Graceland. They’d become his family and he’d forever be thankful for them.


End file.
